Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday questioned the appointment of Pralhad Joshi as Education Minister, saying he was “amazed” that the BJP had chosen him after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from the post.
Addressing reporters outside Parliament, Gandhi alleged that the BJP had placed its faith in someone who is a “defender of rapists”.
Rahul Gandhi’s Remarks
Speaking while the Lok Sabha debated a Bill proposing stricter action against paper leaks, Gandhi referred to the recent student protests over the education system.
“Look at the Education Minister of India, who after all these young people were protesting about the education system…” Gandhi said, before Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra interjected, adding that “so many girls” were also agitating.
Continuing his remarks, Rahul Gandhi said, “… and so many girls are protesting. They have been beaten, they have been thrashed.”
He then added, “The BJP puts a man who is a defender of rapists. That’s the most filthy type of man. There can be no filthier man than somebody who says that rapists need protection. That is the Education Minister of India today.”
Questioning the Prime Minister’s decision, Gandhi further said, “It’s strange. It’s a strange reaction from the Prime Minister… that there are so many people in his cabinet, he could have chosen any one of them, but he chooses a person who protects rapists. Quite amazing.”
Reference To 2018 Bilkis Bano Convicts’ Release
Joshi, a five-time Lok Sabha MP and one of the senior-most ministers in the Narendra Modi Cabinet, was serving as Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister in 2018 when 11 men serving life sentences for the gang rape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of her family during the 2002 Gujarat riots were granted early release.
Defending the remission at the time, Joshi had said the convicts had spent “quite some time” in prison and that there was a legal provision for their release.
“When the government and the concerned people have taken the decision, I don’t find anything wrong in it as it is a process of law,” he had told NDTV.
Joshi had also referred to the convicts’ “good behaviour”, an argument cited by the Gujarat government to justify the remission.
“After having been in prison for some time, if their behaviour…there are so many incidents, I don’t want to get into that,” he had said.
Supreme Court Verdict
In 2024, the Supreme Court cancelled the early release of the 11 convicts, holding that the remission order lacked competence.
Before You Go
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